Frugality.

I have recently been at the receiving end of some confessions from some of my relatives about their childhoods and how those factors affected their attitudes to their lives in their adulthood. These relatives, now older than I am and in more or less the same financial status as mine, still live frugal lives and think that I am daft for spending my money, in their opinion, lavishly on travel, restaurants etc.

All three pointed out to me that my childhood was not one of poverty as my father was quite well off during my childhood as they had many occasions to perceive first hand. On the other hand, each of them had very poor standards of living during their childhood which impacted their attitudes to money and economy in their later lives.

On reflection, this certainly would explain my general attitude towards life as being one of abundance which reflects in my approach to money.

My life has never followed a philosophy of frugality. It has however followed flugality.

Let me explain.Frugality: The quality of being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent or economical in the use of consumable resources such as food, time or money, and avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance.

In behavioral science, frugality has been defined as the tendency to acquire goods and services in a restrained manner, and resourceful use of already owned economic goods and services, to achieve a longer term goal.

Flugality:
A fluctuating degree of frugality based on economic circumstances.(portmanteau of fluid and frugal)

Scrimping and saving when money was tight and indulging when it was in abundance.

Let me clarify before my readers conclude that I am a prodigal. Far from it. I am not a spendthrift but I do like the good things of life and do not see any reason to not spend money that I can afford on them. I will most certainly not buy a Rolex wrist watch, but will buy a good one and keep one in spare too. I will not go to a five star hotel but will most certainly stay in a service apartment facility instead of in some dive near the railway station. I do not drive a BMW but a modern and efficient car that is comfortable for me to get in and out of and gives me value for money.

I will spend money on a Mac! In fact, this post has been written using one.

I am grateful that I can be flugal.

I hope that you enjoyed reading this post on the weekly Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium where eleven of us write on the same topic. Today’s topic has been chosen by The Old Fossil. The ten other bloggers who write regularly are, in alphabetical order, Delirious, gaelikaa, Grannymar, Maxi, Maria SF, Padmum, Paul, Shackman, The Old Fossil and Will. Do drop in on their blogs and see what their take is on this week’s topic. Since some of them may post late, do give some allowance for that too!

Flugality has been our practice as well. There have been times when money was short and we’ve splashed out only on things like wine and good food. When money was more plentiful, we’ve been to Australia and moved to a bigger home. There’s no way we’re going to scrimp and save when there’s cash galore in the bank. And we’re not going to hoard it all for the future when we have no idea what the future will bring and we might both die before we can spend it.Nick recently posted..Baby blues

I never heard of the term Flugality before. I suppose I have lived that way without realising it. Major changes were planned and saved for, but when things were flush it allowed for more spontaneous spending.Grannymar recently posted..Frugality

i am LIKING this! i never knew i was a flugalist ! rather i didn’t know there was a name for it. i’m always learning something new here.
i too scrimp when i need to. but life is to be enjoyed. and i have stopped beating myself up every time the marine and i eat out. it is one of my simple pleasures ~ sharing a meal with him ~ often places that i would not go by myself. so . . . flugalism march on! great post.tammy j recently posted..a dark and stormy night

Sure, none of us were conditioned by extreme poverty when we were kids, thank our lucky stars! As far as I can tell since the end of WW II we’ve been living in an unusually abundant time. Hope that doesn’t change too soon!Cheerful Monk recently posted..Too Complicated?

It does not look as though it will. Just earlier today I was pointing out to someone how the young today are on a different trajectory altogether with instant gratification as the motto. For them, I have doubts.

Lots of people get confused about frugality, believing that means have a “poor thinking mind” and buying budget or imported cheap items. But that isn’t what frugality as such really means.

I buy items that are brand new, but have value, will last more than a few years. I remember when I bought a thermal jacket for University and some family members were shocked it was from Katamandu (shop/brand) but now some years down the track I’m still wearing it and it has paid for itself over and over again. I actually bought when they had a sale for card holders!

I do buy secondhand items but only if I really don’t want it for years…some of the new clothing I bought in the 1980s is still being worn at the season it should be in (a bit old, faded)

When I first left my marriage, I needed to buy a washing machine, I got a 2ndhand one and ended up with a lemon! So when I next bought a washer (I went to laundromat for years); I shopped around and got a small washer for a lot less, including and installation…

And thinking about food stuffs, I actually don’t buy much that is generic and plain because I don’t necessarily like the item. I would prefer to buy a more expensive item (often on special) and enjoy the day But I do buy some items that need some assistance in my kitchen before they are usable/edible as well!Cathy in NZ recently posted..BIRD project

Well, I agree with you. I have enough money to live will, not extravagantly. And I do it. I still have that waste not, want not in my genes, however, wasting and enjoying are entirely different. And, of course, individual ideas of extravagance are just that. I could look extravagant to others. And some might see me as too conscious of waste. It’s all relative, isn’t it?Talk to Me…I’m Your Mother recently posted..The Mother Line

That reminds me of a joke I read years ago. The question on the marriage compatibility quiz was, “Do you and your spouse agree on money matters?” The answer, “Yes, we both deplore extravagance. I deplore his and he deplores mine.”Cheerful Monk recently posted..Too Complicated?